Director Ricarda Winkelmann

Prof. Dr. Ricarda Winkelmann is Founding Director at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, specializing in the fields of climate physics, mathematics and Earth system science. Her research has made significant contributions to our understanding of the complex dynamics of the Earth System, including Greenland and Antarctic ice dynamics, past and future sea-level change, ecosystem resilience and tipping dynamics.

In the Department ‘Integrative Earth System Science’, Ricarda Winkelmann, together with her team, develops novel approaches to investigate the dynamics of the intertwined human-Earth system, providing fundamental insights into Earth system boundaries, critical thresholds, feedback loops and potential intervention points to help navigate the multiple crises and challenges facing us in the Anthropocene.

Ricarda Winkelmann is a member of the Earth Commission, and Professor of Climate System Analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and University of Potsdam. She initiated and leads the Tipping Point Modeling Intercomparison Project TIPMIP. Next to her analytical and numerical modeling work, she has been involved in several scientific expeditions to Antarctica and the Andes, including the ‘Expedition Anthropocene’ by the German Young Academy at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

In recognition of her work, Ricarda Winkelmann has received numerous awards, including the Young Scientist of the Year award by Academics and ZEIT Publishing Group, the E-Learning Award UP for innovative teaching approaches, the Outstanding Early Career Scientists Award by the Cryospheric Division of the European Geosciences Union, and the Karl-Scheel-Prize by the German Physical Society.

Ricarda Winkelmann is a passionate science communicator and seeks to make research accessible to the public through a broad range of channels.